As we dive into the thick of awards season, Guillermo del Toro‘s name has been making headlines — justifiably so. Del Toro’s latest film, The Shape of Water, currently has a 94 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, has been included on several lists for the best film of the year, and received seven Golden Globe nominations. It also holds the distinct honor of being the only critically-praised film of the year that tells the story of a romance between a human and a fish monster. However, as the critical community as a whole continues to sing del Toro’s praises, it’s worthwhile to look at the director’s arguably most surprising project — Netflix’s Trollhunters.

Created in partnership with DreamWorks, Trollhunters tells the story of human teenager who becomes the legendary Trollhunter, the protector of the trolls. There are a lot of familiar beats to this unexpected chosen one story. Watching Jim Lake (the late Anton Yelchin) stumble through lore and customs he doesn’t understand feels a lot like watching Aang shove his way through his destiny in Avatar: The Last Airbender or Steven flail through Steven Universe. Jim and his friends don’t know anything about this world or what they’re supposed to do, but they approach all their problems with such a straightforward sense of earnestness, it’s hard not to root for these haphazard heroes. Trollhunters stands as an enjoyable if not far-better-than-average children’s show when examined on its own, but in del Toro’s shadow, the series almost feels like a beautiful and exciting playground for the director and creator.

There are few creators that are better defined by their stories than del Toro. Though most of the director’s projects center around themes of love, loss, and what it means to be human, these basic stories are always told against the backdrops of shockingly rich worlds. From Pan’s Labyrinth and Pacific Rim to The Shape of Water and The Strain, that’s always been the case. Even when a del Toro project flops, it never lacks universe-building ambition, and that raw excitement is what makes Trollhunters such a fun watch. The series likes to race through its weird world, jumping from mystical plot point to insane plan, confident that its audeinces will follow along. In many ways the series watches like a series-long showcase of del Toro’s strength at universe building minus some of the complicated themes that have defined some of the creator’s other projects.

Photo: Netflix

That’s a compliment, by the way. There are few mediums that can thrive on fast-paced and crazy world building, but children’s animation is certainly fits that category. At times Trollhunters reflects on complicated emotions such as loss, hope, and fear, but these themes are dulled down a bit for the medium, often revealing the director’s mastery of emotional complexity and confusion through the show’s ability to fold them into an action epic. Though Jim, Toby (Charlie Saxton), and Claire (Lexi Medrano) constantly have to worry about saving the world, there show always hints at the whirlwind of emotional choices that define even the most minor character. There’s also a sort of optimism that lays beneath the surface of the del Toro-created children’s property, something that mirrors the creator’s other work.

Trollhunters continues a children’s animation trend that’s been appearing a lot lately. Like Steven Universe, Adventure Time,Gravity Falls, and Star vs. the Forces of Evil, the show starts as a story led by a single adventure. However, as the series continues, character intention and consequences alter Trollhunter‘s story until its ending episodes are almost unrecognizable when compared to its pilot. That trend is sure to continue in the show’s upcoming third season. Prior to his tragic death, Yelchin only recorded enough audio for Season 1 and 2. However, as the series currently stands, Trollhunters is one of the most interesting children shows on the air. Though the series is an action-packed study about change and destiny, it also acts as a guide to del Toro’s strengths and style as a creator.